Resource Added!

Type:

Description:

An overview of the unit: what it contains, why it is structured as it is, and how to use it.

Subjects:

Language Arts > General

Language Arts > Literature

Language Arts > Reading Comprehension

Education Levels:

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade 9

Grade 10

Keywords:

Anne Frank &#38;#38;#38;#38;#34;Diary of a Young Girl&#38;#38;#38;#38;#34; Diary Holocaust Judaism Jewish Jews World War 2 WW2

Language:

English

Access Privileges:

Members

License Deed:

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

Collections:

None

This resource has not yet been aligned.

Curriki Rating

'NR' - This resource has not been rated

NR

'NR' - This resource has not been rated

This resource has not yet been reviewed.

Gail Johnson

April 19, 2010

I like this resource because it address one of the real issues within public schools. The majority of posting within this web site are so textbook I feel like the contributors are avoiding the real issues with in schools. Personally, I would like to see more posting like this one. I give Abigail Myers a rating of “5” for keeping it real.

FileChecker2 FileChecker2

This resource received a 3* rating because it is part of Anne Frank, which received a rating of 3-Exemplary in the Curriki Review System and which you can see here: http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_paxetaurora/AnneFrank

RATIONALE:

Many teachers and schools have shifted away from using a single text for an entire class, particularly when the classes are heterogeneous in terms of ability, preparedness, and cultural and religious diversity. I teach in Flushing, NY in the heart of Queens County, the single most ethnically diverse county in the United States. I have chosen to teach Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl to my mixed-ability classes.

How can a single-text unit be successful in an age of differentiated instruction and heterogeneous classes? I believe that through a mix of independent and guided reading techniques; partner and whole-group discussions; extensions for the imaginative and empathetic capacities in each student that include art, film, and Internet activities; and frequent and careful checking of comprehension and engagement levels, it can be done.

Why do it? Even as schools shift to multiple-text models in which there may be upwards of twenty or thirty texts being used simultaneously in a single classroom, I believe that there are still some “touchstone” texts that students are generally expected to have read. As well, there are certain texts which have become so important to history and a general understanding of the human experience that to not teach them is to miss an opportunity to create interdisciplinary units that educate the whole student.

Thus I have created this unit for the teacher who wants to make history come alive for his or her students; who wants to have the whole class to have at least one shared and meaningful reading experience; who wants to prepare a diverse population for a challenging high school curriculum; and who wants to support all learners in exploring a book that is still generally considered to be a “classic.”

BASIC PROCEDURES:

To teach this unit successfully, I would outline teaching the unit as follows:

Build motivation and anticipation through one or more of the activities in the "Resources for Motivation and Anticipation" folder

Teach the Introductory lesson carefully, taking more than one class period if necessary, including a thorough modeling of the "Silent Discussion" procedure (the procedure is thoroughly explained in the Introductory lesson)

Maintain a sense of how emotionally engaged your students are with the text, providing additional time and activities for students to take a break or engage with the text differently when necessary

Choose summative assessment options before beginning the unit with students--I would strongly recommend using the Diary students will be creating with their responses to the daily readings as a summative assessment in addition to the other options

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS:

Students will be able to:

Name and describe the major personalities in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, including Anne, Margot, Mr. and Mrs. Frank, Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan, Peter Van Daan, and Dr. Dussel

Interpret the conflicts between the major personalities and relate them to their own experiences

Discuss and support with examples from the text the major themes of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, including but not limited to survival, the importance and challenges of close family relationships, the centrality of self-expression and reflection to the human experience, living in a time of war and genocide, and the maturing process of teenagers

Create their own diary in which they record their own experiences and thoughts for approximately one month

Empathize with Anne’s situation through exercises in which they imagine how they would deal with her challenges (e.g. choosing items they would bring into hiding with them, finding a hiding place, choosing companions for a hiding place, etc.)

Relate Anne’s experiences to the experiences of all victims of the Holocaust

If you are teaching the Diary in connection with a unit in social studies on World War II:

Describe the role of the United States in World War II

Justify the appropriateness of American involvement in World War II

Defend or prosecute American hesitation to enter the war, given the heavy losses of World War I, the emergence from the Great Depression, the reluctance to accept Jewish refugees, and alliances with Britain, France, etc.

Defend or prosecute internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II

• 1.1.a (Students interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, graphs, charts, diagrams, and electronic databases intended for a general audience)

• 2.1.a (Students read and view texts and performances from a wide range of authors, subjects, and genres)

• 2.2.a (Students present responses to and interpretations of literature, making reference to the literary elements found in the text and connections with their personal knowledge and experience)

• 3.1.a. (Students analyze, interpret, and evaluate information, ideas, organization, and language from academic and nonacademic texts, such as textbooks, public documents, book and movie reviews, and editorials)

• 3.1.c (Students understand that within any group there are many different points of view depending on the particular interests and values of the individual, and recognize those differences in perspective in texts and presentations)

• 4.1.b (Students express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in conversations and group discussions)

• 4.1.d (Students use verbal and nonverbal skills to improve communication with others)

• 4.2.a (Students write social letters, cards, and electronic messages to friends, relatives, community acquaintances, and other electronic network users)

• 4.2.c (Students read and discuss social communications and electronic communications of other writers and use some of the techniques of those writers in their own writing)

Social studies:

• 1.2.c (Students understand the relationship between the relative importance of United States domestic and foreign policies over time)

• 1.2.d (Students analyze the role played by the United States in international politics, past and present)

• 1.4.a (Students consider the sources of historic documents, narratives, or artifacts and evaluate their reliability)

• 1.4.b (Students understand how different experiences, beliefs, values, traditions, and motives cause individuals and groups to interpret historic events and issues from different perspectives)

• 1.4.d (Students describe historic events through the eyes and experiences of those who were there)

• 2.1.c (Students interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history)

• 2.3.b (Students interpret and analyze documents and artifacts related to significant developments and events in world history)

• 2.4.a (Students explain the literal meaning of a historical passage or primary source document, identifying who was involved, what happened, where it happened, what events led up to these developments, and what consequences or outcomes followed)

• 2.4.c (Students view history through the eyes of those who witnessed key events and developments in world history by analyzing their literature, diary accounts, letters, artifacts, art, music, architectural drawings, and other documents)

TARGET AUDIENCE:I originally designed this unit to work with two eighth-grade classes. The classes are diverse in ability and background, with students with reading levels between sixth and tenth grade. The unit could be adapted to work for students as young as sixth grade or as old as ninth or tenth grade, though the reading will probably be too easy for advanced students in high school classes.

KEY COMPONENTS:

Students have opportunities for interaction through “silent discussion,” based on Harvey Daniels’ model, and whole-group discussion (one could easily substitute literature circles and/or reciprocal teaching methods if the teacher prefers)

Students’ reading is monitored through daily diary entries in which they write about their own lives and “write back to Anne”

Students get writing practice through short daily writing pieces that are approachable and basic

Students use imaginative and empathetic capacities to place themselves in Anne’s position

Students compile and revise their writing before handing in their “diary” as a final product

Students see the connections between creative/personal writing and history

MILESTONES:

Students receive a pacing guide with daily reading goals

Students complete a short diary entry and writing response on a daily basis

Over approximately two weeks of lessons, students complete components of an “escape plan” on a daily basis

Students revise and compile each component into an “escape plan,” a piece of creative writing in which they imagine how they would escape and deal with being in hiding like Anne (approximately 3 weeks into the unit)

Students submit the diary they wrote over the course of the unit at the conclusion of the unit

(optional) Students take an essay test based on the major themes of the diary at the conclusion of the unit

RESEARCH BASE/BEST PRACTICES:The “silent discussion” is based on Harvey Daniels’ model in his book Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom (Stenhouse: 1994).

Research shows that imagination and role-play are highly engaging for students (e.g. Boggs, Mickel, and Holtom 2007).